Pages

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Guest Post! - A Positive Approach to Professional Transitions

Eliane Hack, a fellow member of the NY Association of School Psychologist Executive Board (NYASP; representing Chapter F) and school psychologist in the QueensburyUnionFreeSchool
District, graciously offered to share this article she wrote for the New York School Psychologist newsletter as a guest post! This article is the perfect positive pick-me-up and revitalizer as we school psychologists go through March Madness and the last push to finish all those evals before June hits. Thank you, Eliane! :) If you would like to contact Eliane, drop her a line at Eliane.hack@gmail.com.

A Positive Approach to Professional Transitions

It is
an unceremonious transition, and one that happens at different times for
different people, but one transition that cannot be overlooked is that of the
budding, energetic, newly-hired school psychologist to the tired,
underappreciated, and frustrated professional. In my case, this shift happened
somewhere between my fourth and fifth year on the job. I had secured my tenure
position and established myself as a trusted person in my building, but I found
that the daily hurdles and sentiments of wanting to “vote someone off the
island" made me question my ability to envision myself in this career
through the year 2038 (when I am first eligible for retirement). It may be
inevitable that this happens to you, or possibly already has. Here are the bits
of advice I have found essential in staying positive and sticking with the
career for which I know I was meant.

Surround
yourself with “balcony people” (those who encourage us, rather than
“basement people”, who seek to hold us down with negativity). If you spend
your time around perpetual cynics it is going to be hard to remain an
eternal optimist, or even a realist. Negativity breeds negativity and the
surefire way to make a bad situation worse is to harp on it without
envisioning the solutions. I can thank my consultation coursework at MaristCollege for the solution-focused
push on that one. It is also just as important to pass along compliments
about others to others. Be a balcony person, a
bucket-filler, and a genuine encourager wherever you can. The favor will
gladly be returned.

Create
a "smile file". It may be corny, but it helps. Keep all of those
nice notes from students, parents, fellow staff members, supervisors, and
administrators. Look them over from time to time, to remind yourself that
on that day, you made a difference to someone.

Keep
in touch with other graduates from your training program. You build strong
bonds when you are in school together, and it will be important to share
opinions and trade stories once you are employed. It is incredible how
differently districts operate across the state and country. Trading
stories also helps to keep perspective in that your "issues"
might not be that bad! If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw
everyone else’s, we would likely grab ours back.

Find
an activity that recharges your batteries - a quick activity that gives
you a short break from the rat race, and keeps you grounded in the reasons
you became a school psychologist in the first place. This may be something
different for everyone, but for me, it is taking a few short minutes to
visit one of my school's kindergarten self-contained classrooms. I feel
like a rock star as I walk in to bear hugs and exclamations of, "Ms.
Hack is BACK!" And, at five years old, they often say the funniest
things. It's a guarantee that I will smile when I visit that room.

Of
course it helps to work with a solid group of school psychologists within
your district. I am lucky to work with four other school psychologists in
a district of about 3,700 students. As you have probably realized, being a
school psychologist can be a lonely position, often being the sole
psychologist in your building. Arrange monthly or quarterly meetings with
your fellow school psychologists. It helps in terms of consistency across
the district, as well as camaraderie and communication on some tough
issues. Some of you may be the only psychologist in the entire district.
This is where it helps to stay connected with others in your field, but
more on that later.

Professional
development should be about more than accruing credits for NCSP or
district requirements. Find trainings that speak to your interests. I find
that for many school psychologists, it is not only our job but our hobby.
A friend who works in the computer industry could not believe that I
wanted to go to a work-related conference on my own time and that I would
drive several hours to get to it. I get excited about big name speakers in
“our world” and related fields, such as George McCloskey, Jim Wright, Ross
Greene, and Michelle Garcia Winner. I stop just short of asking for
autographs.

Speaking
of professional development, I think it is important to take opportunities
to deliver your own professional development. School psychologists
are often looked to as experts on topics such as learning styles,
behavior, mental health and disabilities, just to name a few. If you can
present information to your colleagues that will ultimately help them to
be more successful educators, they will be thankful, and you will feel
useful! Feeling useful is one of the biggest motivators that keep me going
each day. Another way to help others help themselves is to catalog the
books in your office to establish a lending library. I compiled a list of
over 200 books available for staff to borrow as needed, which I
“advertised” throughout my building at various points throughout the
school year. Of course this will not completely eliminate the need to be
called on to put out fires, but it can help better equip others.

My
last bit of advice is something you have already heeded since you are
reading this article. Stay involved in your state and national associations.
Being current with the goings on of your field is a necessary step in
staying fresh and being re-inspired to carry on!

2 comments:

This was especially timely for me as, after reading this article, I realize that I have hit that transition this school year. I have gone from excited and motivated to tired and beaten down. Thank you not only for the thoughts and recommendations, but for the reassurance that I am not alone in experiencing this phenomenon.